Download 2015 Dallas Veterans Day Parade Program

Commemorating the
70th Anniversary
of the
End of World War II
Dallas Veterans Day Commemoration
November 11, 2015
Without a Heart,
it’s just a machine.
We have a huge heart for our Military. Our colors may be blue, red and yellow, but our support is
for the red, white and blue. With over 6,000 Employees and thousands of Customers who have
served or are actively serving, our support of our Military comes from deep within our heart.
Southwest AIrlines® proudly supports the Dallas Veterans Day Parade.
Eleventh Hour Ceremony :: November 11/15
The Armistice Day Story
At 11:00 am, November 11, 1918, the guns of World War I fell silent across Europe and Armistice Day was born.
Eight years later a Presidential Proclamation invited people to observe the day with appropriate ceremonies. In time it was
changed to Veterans Day and became the focal point for official national Veterans Day ceremonies.
Musical Prelude . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Air National Guard Band of the Southwest
Master of Ceremonies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Scott Murray
Oath of Enlistment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lieutenant General John Campbell, USAF (Ret)
Presentation of the Colors . . . . . . . . . . . JROTC Color Guard
Massing of the Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DISD JROTC Cadets
Invocation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CDR Rene P. Lawson (Chaplain), USN
Pledge of Allegiance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LTC King Moss II
The National Anthem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MSgt. Erika Stevens TXANG
Laying of the Wreath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lieutenant General John Campbell, USAF (Ret.)
LTC King Moss II, USA (Ret.)
SgtMaj Willie Martin, USMC (Ret.)
Rifle Salute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lone Star Chapter, Paralyzed Veterans of America
TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TSgt. Richard Bullock, USAF (Ret.)
Missing Man Formation T-38’s, Euro-NATO Joint Pilot Training Wing,
Sheppard AFB, Texas
Retire the Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DISD JROTC Cadets
Introduction of Mayor Michael Rawlings . . . . Scott Murray
Welcome Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mayor Michael S. Rawlings, City of Dallas
Guest Speaker Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . LTC King Moss II, USA (Ret.)
Guest Speaker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Congressman Pete Sessions
Music Interlude . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Air National Guard Band of the Southwest
Veterans Day Parade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Parade Passes in Review in front of Dallas City Hall
OFFICER PARADE REVIEWING PARTY
Army . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brigadier General David Hill, USA
Marine Corps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Colonel William O. Dwiggins, USMC (Ret.)
Navy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rear Admiral Chris Sadler, USN
Air Force . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lieutenant General John Campbell, USAF (Ret)
Coast Guard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Captain Malcolm R. McLellan, USCG
Merchant Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Captain Robert M. Keslinke, USN (Ret.)
THE 2015 VETERANS DAY PARADE 3
CHAIRMAN
Lieutenant Colonel King Moss II, USA (Ret)
Lieutenant Colonel King Moss II was born in Vallejo, California
at Mare Island Naval Base several months after the end of WWII.
He holds a BBA from Texas A&M University and an MBA from
the University of North Texas. He was commissioned a Second
Lieutenant in the Field Artillery from Texas A&M ROTC in 1968.
His military education includes the Field Artillery Basic Course,
Field Artillery Advance Course and Command and General
Staff College. LTC Moss served in Vietnam as a Fire Direction
Officer, Battery Executive Officer and Fire Base Commander.
He also served on Active Duty at Fort Hood, Texas. In the US
Army Reserve, he held several staff and leadership positions to
include commander of a psychological operations company and
Deputy Inspector General of a Medical Brigade.
LTC Moss’ awards include the Bronze Star, Meritorious Service
Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Humanitarian Service
Medal and the Vietnam Service Medal. In his civilian career,
he was employed by the Dallas Water Utilities for 33 years
where he held several
management and executive
positions. He retired in
2005. He has been a
member of and served on
various sub-committees
in the Dallas Veterans Day
Parade Committee since
its inception. He is also a
member of the Military Order of World Wars, Military Officers
Association of America and the Dallas Council of the Navy
League. He has held leadership positions in these organizations. LTC Moss is married and has three sons. He and his wife,
Georgeann live in Sunnyvale, Texas. His sons and daughter-inlaws Wes and Catherine and Scott and Erica live in the Dallas
area and his son, Ryan is a junior civil engineering student at
Texas A&M University.
MASTER OF CEREMONIES
Scott Murray
From U.S. Presidents to U.S. Opens, World Series to the World Cup,
Olympic Games to 30 straight Super Bowls, Scott Murray has covered
them all. He spent three decades with NBC television as an Emmy
Award-winning television sports anchor and broadcast journalist,
including close to a quarter of a century at NBC/DFW. Scott was named
Sportscaster of the Year 17 times and is a recipient of the prestigious
Silver Circle Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of
Television Arts and Sciences.
Although Scott has retired from nightly television news, he’s returned
to NBC 5 as host of the weekly TV public affairs/philanthropic program,
Talk Street. In addition, he is back on the radio hosting The Scott Murray
Show on 570 KLIF every Sunday night from 7-8pm. Scott continues to
be a sought-after inspirational/keynote speaker, a published author
of two books (Whatever It Takes and Bring Out The BEST), TV/radio
spokesperson, emcee/moderator, and, Chairman/CEO of Murray Media,
a video/HD/television production and A/V event company.
Scott stays active in the north Texas community as a volunteer, serving
on the board/advisory boards of many children’s, civic, charitable and
non-profit organizations including The North Texas Super Bowl XLV
Host Committee, National Football Foundation/College Football Hall
of Fame/Gridiron Club of Dallas, National Sports Marketing Network,
Doak Walker National Running Back Award, Davey O’Brien National
PARADE ANNOUNCER
Brian Curtis
Brian Curtis is a journalist with 25 years of
experience in local television news. He
co-anchors NBC 5 News at 6 p.m. & 10 p.m.
Monday through Friday.
Brian is a multiple Lone Star Emmy Award
winner, and the Texas Associated Press
Broadcasters has honored him several times
as the best news anchor in Texas.
Among the major news stories that Brian has covered for NBC5 are
the disaster in West, Texas, the tornado outbreak of 2012, and the
explosion of space shuttle Columbia.
You may have seen Brian as one of the panelists for the 2012 Texas
gubernatorial debates. He has also covered the Olympics in London,
Beijing, Torino, and Athens, as well as the Super Bowl and the World
Series. He is passionate about NBC5’s “Empty The Shelter” project,
which finds homes for animals in DFW-area shelters.
Brian joined NBC 5 as a general assignment reporter in 2003 and
worked his way up to the anchor desk. Brian’s path to DFW started at
KOMU-TV in Columbia, Missouri, then passed through TV stations in
Battle Creek, Grand Rapids, Birmingham and Kansas City.
Brian has a Master of Arts degree from the University of Missouri School
of Journalism and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from
Emory University. He is also a graduate of Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, CT. Brian grew up in Connecticut and Rhode Island, but
got here as fast as he could! North Texas is now home.
Quarterback Award, Armed
Forces Bowl, TicketCity Bowl,
Pat and Emmitt Smith Charities,
Speedway Children’s
Charities, FCA, DASA, Big
Brothers Big Sisters of America
Foundation, Speedway
Children’s Charities, Cancer
Support Community, Dallas
Symphony and the AT&T Performing Arts Center.
His commitment to community has resulted in his being honored with
such awards as Man of the Year, Citizen of the Year, Volunteer of the
Year, Humanitarian of the Year, Governor’s Award, Director’s Award from
the FBI and the US Department of Justice, George Washington Medal
of Honor Freedom Award, Tom Landry Award of Excellence, National
Youth Leadership Council Gift of Leadership Award, Champion for
Children Award, Honorary Member of the National Congress of Parents
and Teachers, Boy Scouts of America God and Service Award, Komen
for the Cure National Individual Community Service Award, United Way
Hercules Award, Philanthropy Hall of Fame Inductee, Texas Baseball
Hall of Fame-Honorary Inductee, and his two most cherished awards,
Dad of the Year & Father of the Year.
PARADE ANNOUNCER
Matt Thomas
Matt Thomas is an award-winning journalist
who has been reporting and anchoring
full-time on NewsRadio 1080-KRLD since
2006. In addition to his on-air work, Matt
also is Assistant News Director for KRLD
and the Texas State Radio Network. He has
been anchoring the KRLD Afternoon
News since 2012.
Prior to joining KRLD the North Texas native worked as a reporter at
NewsRadio 740-KTRH in Houston. It was there he covered several
high-profile stories including the sixteen-week fraud and conspiracy trial
of Enron bosses Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling. Matt also covered hurricane
Rita from Beaumont and spent weeks reporting from New Orleans both
before and after hurricane Katrina.
Matt is a reporter at heart, and still loves it when he has the opportunity
to go to the scene of breaking news. He has been named, “Best Spot
News Reporter” by the Texas Associated Press Broadcasters several
times. He has also been a part of several, “Best Newscast” awards from
the Texas Associated Press Broadcasters. In 2010, Matt won a Regional
Edward R. Murrow Award for a special series on dangerous roads in
North Texas. Matt is currently Radio President on the board of the Texas
Associated Press Broadcasters. He has been on the board since 2011.
Matt was raised in Denton County, but moved to New York City to
attend college after high school graduation. While there, he worked
part-time as a desk assistant at ABC News Radio. His on-air career
started while he was in college doing both airborne and studio traffic
reports for KRLD and several other stations in North Texas.
Matt enjoys spending time with his beautiful wife Megan and with his
friends and family. Matt lives in Plano and his hobbies include playing
golf and going to events happening across the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
THE 2015 VETERANS DAY PARADE 5
HONORED KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Congressman Pete Sessions
Congressman Sessions grew up in Waco, Texas. He graduated from Churchill High
School in San Antonio and went on to graduate from Southwestern University in
1978, where he now serves on the Board of Trustees. He worked for then-Southwestern Bell Telephone Company for 16 years, retiring as District Manager for
Marketing in Dallas.
In 1996, the people of Dallas and the 5th Congressional District sent Congressman
Sessions to Washington, DC to represent them in the United States House of
Representatives. In 2002, Congressman Sessions began representing the 32nd
Congressional District, created from redistricting. In 2014, the people of the 32nd
Congressional District called him back to Congress for his tenth term.
He serves as the Chairman of the House Committee on Rules, which is best
known for its role as the legislative gatekeeper. In 2008 and 2010, he was elected
by the House Republican Conference as Chairman of the National Republican
Congressional Committee.
Congressman Sessions is married to Karen Sessions. He is the proud father of two
sons and three stepsons. Congressman Sessions resides in Dallas, Texas.
GRAND MARSHAL
Charles “Charlie” Alford (Born November 12, 1920)
Charlie Alford joined the U.S. Army in 1942 and began
training in Fort Sill, Oklahoma. There, he applied for and
was accepted into Officer Candidate School. After he
was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in January
1943 he was assigned to the 65th Division, 868th Field
Artillery Battalion in Shelby, Mississippi. After a year of
stateside duty, Charlie volunteered for overseas duty and
was promptly transferred to the European theater. After
zigzagging across the Atlantic Ocean dodging German
submarines, he landed in Europe and joined the 6th
Armored Division serving in France.
At the end of the Normandy Campaign, Charlie and
the 6th Armored Division turned east and raced across
France as a lead element of General George Patton’s Third
Army. On December 23, 1945, the 6th Armored Division
was ordered north of Metz to take part in the Battle of the
Bulge. Charlie’s unit secured a sector along the south bank
of the Sauer River. The 6th Armored Division was heavily
engaged in the battle for Bastogne, finally driving the
enemy back across the Our River into Germany. It was
during this fighting
that Charlie was
awarded the Silver
Star for heroism.
Charlie’s unit
penetrated the
Siegfried Line,
crossed the Rhine River and swept into Germany. He
assisted in freeing prisoners of war in the notorious
German concentration camp at Buchenwald. After the
war ended, Charlie’s unit was reassigned to the 2nd
Armored Division and sent to Berlin to occupy the
American sector. In late 1945, he served on one of the
War Crimes Commissions.
Charlie received his honorable discharge in 1946 and
joined the Army Reserves, he retired in 1973 from the
Army Reserves as a Lieutenant Colonel. Charlie’s wife for
68 years, Goldia, passed away in March of 2011. Charlie
and Goldia have a son and a daughter.
GRAND MARSHAL
William “Will” Nealy (Born on March 20, 1926)
Will was born in Stonewall Oklahoma as the fifth of eight
children. As a child, he moved to Dallas where he attended
Booker T. Washington High School. On August 4, 1944,
Will joined the Army and did his basic training at Fort
Lewis, Washington. In 1945, he was shipped overseas to
the South Pacific where he served in the Philippines. In the
Philippines, he was in an engineer battalion and worked
as a firefighter on a variety of Army and Army Air Corps
bases as well as the city of Manila. After the surrender of
Japan, Will shipped out for Japan where he served in the
Army of Occupation.
In June of 1946, Will came back to the United States
where he received an honorable discharge. He served in
the reserves, and then decided to re-enlist in the Army
on July 24, 1947. He then went on to train at Fort Knox,
Kentucky. During his time in the Army, Will served in Korea,
Germany, Greenland, and all over the continental United
States in units
ranging from
infantry units,
military police
units, engineering
units, and air
defense artillery
units.
After 21 years of service, Will retired from the Army with
the rank of Master Sergeant. He was married to
his wife Glendora for 16 years and together they have 5
children. Will is a resident of Dallas, Texas.
GRAND MARSHAL
Romus “RV” Burgin (Born August 13, 1922)
RV Burgin joined the Marine Corps in November of 1942
and was assigned to the 9th Replacement Battalion. He
soon became a mortar-man in K-Company, 3rd Battalion,
5th Marines, 1st Marine Division, and fought in the Pacific
War at Cape Gloucester, on Peleliu, and Okinawa.
Burgin was promoted to the rank of Sergeant upon
reaching Okinawa.
On Okinawa, RV was awarded a Bronze Star for Valor for
his actions in the Battle of Okinawa on May 2nd, 1945,
when he destroyed a Japanese Machine Gun
emplacement that had his company pinned down.
Burgin was wounded on May 20th, 1945 and received a
Purple Heart. He returned to his company after spending
20 days in a field hospital and remained with them for
the duration of the battle.
After the war,
RV was sent to
Melbourne
Australia.
There he met and
then later married
an Australian girl
named Florence Risely. RV received his honorable
discharge and he went to work for the United States Post
Office. RV and his wife have four daughters. RV lives in
Lancaster, Texas.
THE 2015 VETERANS DAY PARADE 7
GRAND MARSHAL
James Henderson (Born January 19, 1924)
James Henderson volunteered for the United States Navy
in November of 1942 at a recruiting station in Longview,
Texas. He was sworn in shortly thereafter in Dallas and
sent to San Diego, California where his company of
mostly east Texans was formed on January 19th, 1943.
He received 12 weeks of training in San Diego, traveled
to Memphis, Tennessee for radio aviation school, and
Pensacola, Florida for regular radio operation training.
In Pensacola, James decided that he was tired of
waiting and wanted to go to sea to fight the war. He
wrote a letter to the Bureau of Naval Operations
explaining his wishes and was immediately transferred
to New York City where he joined the Destroyer Escort
named “The Courier.” They shipped out of New Orleans
to the Mediterranean, where they remained until the
invasion of southern France in 1944.
Japanese surrender
off of the island of
Truk, which supported
the largest Japanese
naval base in the
Pacific at the time.
After the Japanese
surrender, James
was transferred to Houston, Texas where he was
discharged in February of 1946. He had attained the
rank of Petty Officer, First Class.
James has been married 40 years to his wife Doris. He
has two children. James is a resident of Dallas County.
After the beachhead in France was established and the
land war in Europe began, his group was sent to the
Pacific theater to fight the Japanese. Jim remained on
the Courier for the entirety of the war and was involved in
the major engagements of Iwo Jima, Saipan, Guam, and
Okinawa. When the war ended, his ship accepted a
GRAND MARSHAL
Jerry Yellin (Born February 15, 1924)
In 1942, two months after the Japanese attack on Pearl
Harbor, Captain Jerry Yellin volunteered for the U.S.
Army Air Corps on his 18th birthday. Jerry graduated from
Luke Air Field as a fighter pilot in August of 1943. He
spent the remainder of the war flying P-40, P-47 and P-51
combat missions in the Pacific with the 78th Fighter
Squadron.
Captain Yellin participated in the first land-based fighter
mission over Japan on April 7, 1945. He also has the
unique distinction of having flown the final combat mission
of World War II on August 14, 1945 – the day the war
ended. On that mission, his wing-man, Phillip Schlamberg,
was the last man killed in combat during WWII.
After the war, Jerry went on to write about his experiences
during World War II and is the author of numerous books
including Of War and Weddings, The Blackened Canteen,
The Resilient Warrior, and The Letter. His books can be
purchased through his website: www.captainjerryyellin.com
Jerry is currently
working on a feature
film about his life
titled “The Last Man
Standing.” This
documentary will
explore Jerry’s
experiences coming
to terms with the War and his Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder (PTSD). Currently in production, the film will be
submitted to various film festivals including Sundance
Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
On June 23, Jerry’s wife Helene recently passed away after
65 years of marriage. They had four children together.
Donations can be made here:
http://captainjerryyellin.com/home/
For press inquires, please contact [email protected]
GRAND MARSHAL
Morris Paulk (Born August 17, 1924)
Morris joined the US Army Air Corps Engineers in March
of 1943, and his first posting was to St. Louis for basic
training. Morris always wanted to fly. He applied to the
Army Air Corps Cadet, and he was accepted and began
training in September of 1943 at the University Denver.
There he began training as a bombardier-navigator. On
July 21, 1944 he graduated from the Air Cadet program.
After graduation, Morris was assigned to the 9th AF,
386TH Bomber Group, 553 Bomb Squadron and trained
for three more months in Louisiana. In November, Morris
received orders to go to Scotland. After a month in
Scotland, the 386th Bomber Group moved to Beaumont
Air Field outside of Paris. In February 1945, Morris and the
386th began combat operations. Missions included deep
strike bombing attacks in Germany targeting railroads,
bridges, fuel depots, and other enemy infrastructure.
Morris flew his final mission on April 20, 1945. Germany
surrendered a few weeks later on May 8, 1945. His unit
immediately started training for missions against Japan.
Fortunately, the war
in Japan came to an
end before he was
transferred to the
Pacific theater.
After the war ended,
Morris waited three
months for orders to return home. He spent this three
months in France, visiting Paris often. On October 18,
1945 he returned to the United States and on January 19,
1946 he received his honorable discharge. He and his wife
Alma settled in North Texas, where he lives to this day.
Alma passed away in September of 2001. Morris
married Jeanne Kalahar Paulk six years ago, and has a
stepdaughter and stepson with Jeanne.
GRAND MARSHAL
Barbara Park (Born February 14, 1920)
Barbara was a 4th Grade teacher when World War II
began. After Pearl Harbor, Barbara’s mother inspired her
to join the Coast Guard. Barbara’s mother was in the Navy
in World War I and Barbara said her mother loved the
Navy and bragged about her service for 20 years. Barbara
wanted to do the same! After her initial training, she began
her duties in Chicago. She helped in the sale of war bonds
and assisted in public relations efforts in Chicago. This
involved meeting many celebrities of the time including
Jack Benny and Bing Crosby.
By the end of the war, she had been promoted to
Lieutenant Junior Grade. Barbara credits her rapid
promotion in the Coast Guard to her “luckiest dumb
accident” of picking the short line for the Coast Guard vs.
the long line of the Navy when volunteering for service.
After the war,
Barbara stayed
in Chicago and
studied theater
at Northwestern
University. There
she met her future
husband, Glenn.
Her husband was a petroleum engineer and they lived
in five different countries including Venezuela, Peru,
Columbia, France, and the United Kingdom over the
course of 20 years. They settled in Dallas and Barbara
described her time in Dallas as the happiest years of her
life. Barbara and Glenn have a son and daughter.
THE 2015 VETERANS DAY PARADE 9
2015 Dallas Veterans Day Parade Committee
Honorary Chairman
Chairman
Advisory Committee
Hon. Sam Johnson
LTC King Moss II
Past Chairmen
Public Relations
RADM Bob Smith
Col. Ken Cordier
Capt Cloyd Pinson, Sr.
Lt. Col. Bill Solemene
BG Larry N. Patterson
LTC King Moss II
Capt. Bob Dickson
Capt. John Hayes
CPT Kermit Gable
LTC Don B. Munson
Col. Jim Wolfe
MG Albert C. Zapanta
CAPT Nick Harper
LTC Don Munson
John Lester
Mary Lester
ADM Patrick Walsh
VADM David Robinson
LTG Rick Lynch
MG Albert C. Zapanta
MG H. Gary Bunch
Maj Gen James L. Williams
RADM Cub Amos
RADM L.R. “Bob” Smith
Maj. Gen. Harvey McCarter
Maj. Gen. Jeff Kahla
BG Larry Patterson
Parade Judge
COL J.P. Hogan
LTC King Moss II
Mary Lynn Swayze
Military Liaison
School Coordination
Sponsor Development
Tina Yampanis
Treasurer
LTC Woody Alexander
Parade/Events
LTC Don Munson
LTC Ken Boatman
LTC Walt Capps
Lt. Col. Paul Pfrommer
Dignitary Coordination
Secretary
CPT Alan Backof
Displays
SGT Mario Gutierrez
Philip A “Pat” Teipel
Program/Art
Marie St. Hilaire
Special Events
Col. Ken Cordier
Tracy Fisher
Elaine Thomas
Monica Hayslip
Tim Linley
Logistics
DISD JROTC
City Liaison
Lt. Col. Phil Hardin
LTC Robert Davis
CSM Lonnie Clark
CSM Juan Hernandez
Capt. Glenn Middleton
MAJ Andrew White
Air Boss
City Volunteers
Karen Plunkett
Sarah Ausherman
Terrance Hopkins
Maria Ochoa-Cardenas
UNI T
ED
ER
ICA
MY
AR
DEP
AR
ENT OF THE
TM
M
ST
AT E S OF A
2015 Greater Dallas Veterans Foundation Board Of Directors
Chairman
Vice Chairman
Treasurer
Secretary
Col. Ken Cordier
CPT Kermit Gable
LTC Woody Alexander
COL Ron Forest
Directors
LTC Walt Capps
Col. Ken Cordier
Capt. Bob Dickson
CAPT Nick Harper
LTC Don B. Munson
BG Larry N. Patterson
RADM L.R. “Bob” Smith
LTC King Moss II
Capt. Glenn Middleton
Col. Jim Wolfe
MG Albert C. Zapanta
The Foundation is a 501(c) (3) Organization incorporated January 31, 2000 | www.vetsdayindallas.org
The Dallas Veterans Day Parade | 8415 Old Moss Rd., Dallas Texas 75231
GREATER
DALLAS
MILITARY
FOUNDATION
Help Us Help Them.
Since our inception in 1965, the Greater Dallas Military Foundation has distributed over
$1.4M in proceeds to military relief agencies. Please join us for our 52nd Gala:
OUR MILITARY IN TRANSITION
Providing jobs, education and family support for service men and women.
Saturday, 16 April 2016
Fairmont Hotel | 1717 N. Akard St. | Dallas
Host service: United States Air Force
For tickets and more information: www.GreaterDallasMilitaryFoundation.org
PROUD SPONSORS OF THE 2015 VETERANS DAY PARADE
About our cover photo
Photograph of a public statue of a Sailor Kissing a Nurse by Gail Shumway. The statue is based on the V-J Day in
Times Square photograph by Alfred Eisenstaedt, which was published in “Life” in 1945 after the end of WWII.
THE 2015 VETERANS DAY PARADE 11
Mayor’s Proclamation
Parade Participants
1st Cavalry Division . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Color Guard
Parade Theme banner . . . . . . . . . . 70th Anniversary of end of World War II
Grand Marshall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Charlie Alford, USA
Grand Marshall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Will Nealy, USA
Grand Marshall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . RV Burgin, USMC
Grand Marshall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jim Henderson, USN
Grand Marshall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jerry Yellin, USAAF
Grand Marshall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Morris Paulk, USAAF
Grand Marshall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dorothy Park, USCG
WWII Veteran . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dale Nelson
1st Cavalry Division . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Division Band
1st Cavalry Division Troops . . . . . . . . . . 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team
Disabled Veterans of America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dallas Chapter
AAFES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Headquarters, Dallas, Texas
Task Force “Home Front” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dallas Chapter
Dallas ISD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DISD Color Guard
Dallas ISD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DISD Brigade Commander & Staff
Dallas ISD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Skyline HS, Army JROTC 11th Battalion
Dallas ISD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Skyline HS “Raiders” Marching Band.
Corvette Club Section #1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . World War II Veterans
Dallas ISD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Hillcrest HS, Army JROTC 5th Battalion
Dallas ISD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Molina HS, Army JROTC 18th Battalion
Dallas Airport / USO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Welcome Home a Hero
Dallas Airport / USO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DFW USO
Atmos Energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Supporting our Veterans
Crandall High School band . . . . . . . . . . . . Pirate Regiment Marching Band
Veterans of Foreign Wars . . . . . . . . Post # 1406 ‘Dorie Miller’ Memorial post
Veterans of Foreign Wars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Post # 6796 Dallas
Veterans of Foreign Wars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Post # 7843 Duncanville
University of Texas, Arlington . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Army ROTC
US Navy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dallas Base Submarine Veterans
US Navy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . US Nuclear Submarine “Dallas” (CDR & Crew)
Navy League . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dallas Council
Carry The Load . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dallas Chapter
Dallas ISD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wilmer-Hutchins HS NAVY JROTC
Mesquite ISD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Poteet HS, ARMY JROTC, 4th BN
Southwest Airlines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Southwest Airlines
Dallas City Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . City Hall Veterans
Kappa Lambda Chi Military Vets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Texas Chapter
A+ Academy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Knight BAND
Mission Continues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dallas Chapter
Dallas County Community College . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DCCCD veterans
Military Vehicle Preservation Association . . . . . . . . Steel Wheels (East Texas)
Fresian Horses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dallas Stables
Dallas County Sheriff Posse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sheriff’s Lupe Valdez
Alfa Romeo Fiat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Dallas Dealerships
NBC Universal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . NBC NetVet Group
Dallas ISD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jefferson HS, Army JROTC 13th Battalion
Model T & Model A Clubs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Lone Star Chapter
Dallas ISD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lincoln Magnet HS, Army JROTC 10th Bn
Daughters of the Nile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Shalman Temple No. 90
Hella Shrine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dallas Temple
Chevy Sports Car Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chevy SSR Fanatics
A+ Academy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inspired Vision BAND
Special Forces Association . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chapter XXXI
Extension Health Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dallas Chapter
Heroes, Cops and Kids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dallas Chapter
Military Order of World Wars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dallas Chapter # 69
Military Officers Assoc. of America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dallas Chapter
Wells Fargo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Veterans’ Team Member Network
US Marshals Posse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Texas Chapter
Dallas ISD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Madison High School Trojans Band
Dallas ISD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Madison HS, Army JROTC 3rd Battalion
Dallas ISD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Adamson HS, Army JROTC 2nd Battalion
Corvette Club Section #2 . . . . . Korean War Veterans Association Chapter 270
Dallas Segway Tours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dallas Tour company
Vietnam Veterans of America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chapter 137
Dallas ISD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . South Oak Cliff H.S. Marching Band
Irving ISD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MacArthur HS, Army JROTC Battalion
Battle of the Bulge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dallas Chapter
Doberman Rescue Association . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . North Texas Chapter
AmVets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chapter #22 & Auxiliary
AmVets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chapter #23 & Auxiliary
Dallas Area Rapid Transit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DART
Hooves for Heros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dallas Chapter
Dallas County Community College . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DCCCD veterans
Dallas ISD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . North Dallas High School Bulldogs Band
Dallas ISD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . North Dallas HS, Army JROTC 4th Battalion
Dallas ISD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sunset HS, Army JROTC 6th Battalion
Dallas ISD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Carter HS, Army JROTC 21st Battalion
Military Vehicle Preservation Association . . . . . . . . . . . Camp Howze MVPA
Red Path Warriors Society . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . North Texas Chapter
Jewish War Veterans of America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dallas Chapter #256
Miss Texas USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shannon Sanderford
Dallas ISD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pinkston High School Marching band
Dallas ISD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pinkston HS, Army JROTC 19th Battalion
Dallas ISD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Adams High School Cheerleaders
Dallas ISD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Adams HS, Army JROTC 14th Battalion
Mansfield ISD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Timberview HS Air Force JROTC
Air Force Sergeants Association . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chapter # 1073
Air Force Association . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Seidel Chapter # 232
US Air Force . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 344th Recruiting Detachment
Tuskegee Airman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Claude R Platte DFW Chapter
Sons of the American Revolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dallas Chapter
Dallas ISD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conrad High School Band
Dallas ISD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conrad HS, Army JROTC 20th Battalion
Dallas ISD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Roosevelt HS, Army JROTC 16th Battalion
George Padilla Individual . . . . . . . . . . . . Vietnam honor WWII Grandfather
Dunkin Donuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Caffeine Cruiser
National Security Affairs Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Allen West, CEO
Vets for Diversity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dallas Chapter
N Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dallas Chapter
Dallas ISD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wilson Wildcats Marching Band
Dallas ISD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wilson HS, Army JROTC 7th Battalion
Grand Prairie ISD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Grand Prairie HS, Army JROTC
Frontiers of Flight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dallas Museum
Horseless Carriage Club of America . . . . . . . . . North Texas Regional Group
Natl Assn of Black Veterans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . North Texas Chapter
American LaFrance Pump Truck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pepsi Co.
Bishop Dunne High School . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bishop Dunne Marching Band
First Marine Division Assn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dallas Chapter
McKinney ISD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . McKinney HS, USMC JROTC
Dallas ISD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . White HS, Marine Corps JROTC
Irving ISD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Irving HS, Marine Corps JROTC Battalion
Marine Corps League . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Big D Detachment
Marine Corps League . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Big D Young Marines
Dallas ISD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Seagoville High School Marching band
Dallas ISD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Seagoville HS, Army JROTC 9th Battalion
Dallas ISD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Townview Center, Army JROTC 22nd Bn
American Red Cross . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dallas Area Chapter
Veterans for Peace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . North Texas Chapter
Dallas ISD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kimball High School band
Dallas ISD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kimball HS, Army JROTC 15th Battalion
Cedar Hills ISD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cedar Hills HS, Air Force JROTC
American Legion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Post # 218, Irving
American Legion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Post 292 Alvin Wheeler
American Legion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Post # 453, Love Field
American Legion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Post # 597, Carrollton
Dallas ISD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Samuell High School Marching Band
Dallas ISD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Samuell HS, Army JROTC 12th Battalion
Geico . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Geico Gecko
Patriot Paws . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dallas Chapter
Pedal Against PTSD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dallas Chapter
Platoons of the Fallen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dallas Chapter
Homeless Vets Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dallas Chapter
Dallas ISD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spruce High School band
Dallas ISD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spruce HS, Army JROTC 17th Battalion
Masonic Lodge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Highland Park Lodge # 1150
Department of Veterans Affairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dallas Veterans Office
Department of Veterans Affairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mesquite Veterans Office
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans . . . . . . . . . . . . Dallas & Fort Worth Chapter
Reserve Officers Association . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dallas Chapter 18
YMCA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dallas Centers
Mesquite Veterans Service Office . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mesquite Office
American GI Forum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dallas Chapter
Dallas Fire Rescue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ladder #4 and Sparky, the fire dog
Note: Order may have changed after program was printed.
THE 2015 VETERANS DAY PARADE 13
The
Dallas Veterans Day Parade
Recognizes the Extensive Support
Provided by the
Dallas Independent School District
Specifically, we take note of their Conducting the Veterans Day
Art Contest and their Support of the Veterans Day Massing of
the Colors Ceremony and Parade with hundreds of JROTC Cadets.
We also greatly appreciate the participation of the following
High School Marching Bands:
Skyline, Madison, South Oak Cliff, North Dallas, Pinkston, Conrad,
Woodrow Wilson, Seagoville, Kimball, Samuell, and Spruce.
DALLAS COUNCIL
OF THE NAVY LEAGUE
PROUDLY SALUTES OUR VETERANS
“Citizens in Support of the Sea Services”
Navy
•
Marine Corps
•
Coast Guard
•
US-Flag Merchant Marine
Please join us as we honor and thank the brave crew of our Sponsored Vessel:
The USS DALLAS Submarine (SSN-700)
We proudly welcome and acknowledge their representatives riding in the City of Dallas Veterans Day Parade
Navy League – Dallas Council
P.O. Box 670691, Dallas, Texas 75367
(214) 616-4997
www.navyleaguedallas.org
Join Us! - Luncheon Meetings with informative and topical speakers are held each month
Luncheon location: Park City Club / 5956 Sherry Lane / Dallas, Texas
Call or visit our website for information
THE 2015 VETERANS DAY PARADE 15
The Second World War was a war that touched virtually every part of the world from 1939 to 1945. It was fought
between the Allied Powers and the Axis Powers. The Allies were comprised of the United States, the United
Kingdom, France, the Soviet Union, Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Greece, the Netherlands,
New Zealand, Norway, Poland, South Africa and Yugoslavia. The Axis Powers, consisted of Germany, Italy,
Japan, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria. This was the largest and costliest war in the history of humanity.
There were an estimated 85 million deaths including more than 11 million Holocaust victims. The war came
to an end on 8 May 1945 in Europe upon the surrender of Germany and on 15 August 1945 when Japan
surrendered to the Allies.
The United States entered the war after the Japanese attack
on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. Millions of American
men and women volunteered to serve after the attack. This
generation of American men and women went on to be
described as “The Greatest Generation.” They had a selfless
commitment to defend the American way of life and liberate
people from evil. They literally saved the world and went on
to create this great country we live in today.
use to this day. By 1944, two thirds of all Allied war materials
were produced in the United States.
As we commemorate the 70th anniversary ending this great
conflict, we honor the current living veterans and the more
than 16 million American military service members who fought
in this human story of world war. We especially give honor to
the more than 407,000 men and women who gave the ultimate
sacrifice to preserve the freedom and liberties we enjoy today.
Americans fought around the globe including battle fronts in
Europe, Africa, Asia, the Atlantic and the Pacific. They fought
on and under the oceans, in the skies, and on the land. They
went on to form the greatest military force in the world, a
tradition that continues to this day.
Also to be honored are the millions of men and women who
were on the home front working endless hours in the armament,
munitions and military supply industries and the millions of
other Americans who contributed to the overall war effort.
Domestically, the United States served as the factory of the
Allied war effort. Industrial production in the United States
nearly doubled, 17 million new civilian jobs were created,
and new technologies were developed that we continue to
Please read the following article by noted historian and author,
Larry Alexander. We on the Dallas Veterans Day Parade Committee
believe Mr. Alexander’s article is an excellent tribute to the men
and women who served our nation during World War II.
492 each day. By 2020, 75th anniversary of the war’s end,
there will be considerably fewer.
Between December 1941 and August 1945, 16 million Americans
donned their nation’s uniform to serve both in combat and
noncombat roles. It has been estimated that for each man
on the front line, it took 12 behind the line to keep him
fighting. The Merchant Marines – as well as sailors, soldiers,
Coast Guardsmen and Marines serving with supply units or
servicing war planes at far-flung air bases – were just as much
a part of the final victory as the man toting an M1 or piloting
a bomber or fighter.
Freedom’s fighters
Forrest Guth stepped from the protection of an enclosed
all-terrain vehicle and into the brisk November wind. Stretched
out before him as far as he could see were 9,387 white
headstones, in straight military rows.
The day was Nov. 5, 2008, at the U.S. military cemetery at
Colleville-sur-Mer, which overlooks the sandy expanse of Omaha
Beach where so many of the men buried here fell.
At 87, Guth – a veteran of Easy Company, 506th Parachute
Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division – was making his final
visit to this hallowed ground to pay tribute to a fallen friend.
Like Guth, Terence “Salty” Harris had been a member of the
famous “Band of Brothers.” Except he jumped into France on
D-Day, ahead of the rest of the division as a Pathfinder, assigned
to light up the airborne unit’s drop zone. Whether or not he
succeeded is uncertain; his body was recovered just a few days
later, on June 18, 1944.
“We were young, and we expected some
people not to make it, so it wasn’t as much
of a shock as it maybe should’ve been,” said
Guth, standing by a white cross etched with Salty’s name.
“But we did miss him. I still miss him.”
Nine months later, Guth himself made what paratroopers call the
“final jump,” and now rests in Arlington National Cemetery.
THIS MONTH, as the United States and the rest of the world
observe the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, we
honor the Americans buried at Normandy and in 14 other
overseas cemeteries, as well as graveyards large and small
nationwide.
Just as importantly, we pay tribute to those still among us.
According to the National World War II Museum, of the
approximately 855,000 surviving veterans of the war, we lose
On the home front, no less a vital role was played by the men
and women who remained behind, manning the shops and
factories for long hours while churning out the materials of war
that ensured success in a global struggle that embroiled 22
nations and consumed an estimated 60 million lives. In the war
years that followed the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on
Dec. 7, 1941, we truly became a United States. For perhaps the
first time, but hopefully not the last, the entire nation joined
hands in a cause much larger than ourselves: freedom for the
peoples of the world.
I had the good fortune to be with Forrest Guth that day at
Colleville-sur-Mer, as he and I toured battle sites in France,
Holland and Belgium where Guth saw action in 1944 and 1945.
As a member of the postwar baby boom generation, I have
always had a keen interest in military history. Further, as a
journalist for a newspaper in Lancaster, Pa., for more than
20 years, I had the honor and opportunity to interview many
veterans of nearly every modern conflict, from World War I to
Afghanistan. I remain in awe of the sacrifices and hardships
these men and women endured, and have worked to preserve
many of their stories for posterity.
One need only visit a place like Colleville-sur-Mer to understand
why, for it is a solemn but lovingly cared-for place that starkly
reminds of the human cost of freedom. Of the 16 million
who served, an estimated 405,000 died and 672,000 were
wounded. As of January, a total of 73,515 U.S. personnel remain
unaccounted for.
I knew and understood all this from my readings and research,
but during my 2008 trip I came face to face with that grim reality.
Earlier in the day I had stood alone on Omaha Beach, not
another person to be seen in any direction. The day was overcast
and gray, and the cold, biting wind blowing in off the English
Channel sent waves crashing onto the sand. To me, it fit the
description of that day in 1944 when the Allied invasion armada
sat off shore, its warships pounding German defenses as landing
THE 2015 VETERANS DAY PARADE 17
boats bulging with men and equipment bounced over the
wave tops toward the beach. Gazing out at the channel from
what was then called Dog White sector, I thought about
how men of the 29th Division stormed ashore here, only to
see comrades chopped down by German machine-gun and
mortar fire pouring forth from stout defenses still visible in
the tall bluffs behind me.
OMAHA BEACH was just one location where I took time to
reflect on the accomplishments of the greatest generation.
I stood in the square at Ste. Mere-Eglise, where men of
the 82nd Airborne Division – helpless in their parachutes –
drifted down amid German infantry only to be slaughtered
while still in their harnesses. I stood in the fields of Holland
where, on Sept. 17, 1944, thousands of airborne soldiers in
parachutes and gliders descended during Operation Market
Garden. I paused in the eerie silence of the woods outside
Bastogne in Belgium, surrounded by the still-visible depressions of foxholes that men like Guth had chipped into the
frozen earth that cold December.
Standing amid those trees methodically planted in rows,
the late William “Wild Bill” Guarnere told me how he could
still hear those shells screaming in and men hollering for
a medic.
Next, I visited the basement office once occupied by Brig.
Gen. Anthony C. McAuliffe, who commanded the 101st
during the battle. Seeing where he composed his famous
“Nuts” reply to the German ultimatum for surrender, I
thought of the courage of the soldiers who held the line
against the Nazi onslaught.
My efforts to memorialize their deeds seem feeble, however,
compared to the remembrances of the men themselves.
Harold W. Billow was 21 when the Germans launched what
would be known as the Battle of the Bulge on Dec. 16,
1944. A day later, he and his comrades of Battery B, 285th
Field Artillery Observation Battalion were in a convoy of
jeeps and trucks en route to the Belgian town of St. Vith
when they ran head-on into tanks and half-tracks of
Kampfgruppe Peiper at the crossroad village of Baugnez.
Captured and herded into a field with 130 other men, Billow
stood there helpless as he watched two of the SS troopers
set up a pair of machine guns atop a tank. Then an officer
rolled up in a staff car, stood and drew his pistol.
“He shot a guy to the right of me,” Billow
says. “Then he shot a guy to my left.”
The officer yelled a command to the two Germans on the
tank and “they opened up where all us guys were standing,”
Billow recalls.
Like many others, he instinctively dropped to the snowcovered ground and played dead, barely breathing as
Germans walked among the bodies and shot men in the
head if there was any sign of life. As he lay there, Billow
thought, “I hope I survive so I can tell people what they
did to us.”
Billow made it home, but 87 of his comrades did not. While
he remembers a “big celebration” with “people dancing
and hugging” while he was in Manchester, England, when
Germany surrendered on May 8, 1945, his thoughts were
more somber when Japan did the same on Aug. 14.
“I thought about how lucky I was to be
alive,” Billow, 92, told me.
He says he’s still haunted by the events of that December
day in 1944, and every year on the Fourth of July, Memorial
Day and Veterans Day he puts 87 miniature U.S. flags on
his lawn.
“I see it all as clearly as if it happened
yesterday,” Billow says. “I think about those
men every day of my life.”
AMONG THE MEN who returned home after the guns
were silenced, remembrances are strongest of those who
sacrificed all for victory.
Marlin “Whitey” Groft was an original member of the 1st Marine
Raider Battalion, also known as Edson’s Raiders. Storming Tulagi
in the Solomon Islands on Aug. 7, 1942, Whitey lost his best
friend Kenneth Bowers, with whom he had sworn a blood oath
just prior to hitting the beach.
During the fighting on Guadalcanal, Groft and about 800 other
men – Raiders and the 1st Marine Parachute Battalion – stood
their ground against more than 4,000 Japanese determined
to retake the island. The result was a desperate battle that
became known as the fight for Edson’s Ridge, or Bloody Ridge.
Groft’s memories of that fight – of bayoneting men during
hand-to-hand nighttime combat, and being forced to listen
as a captured buddy was tortured to death within earshot –
are still vivid.
After the dissolution of the Raiders in early 1944, Groft served
with the 22nd Marines, where he saw combat on
Okinawa. When the war ended, he was in Guam, preparing
for the invasion of the Japanese home islands with thousands
of other troops.
To our good fortune, when challenges and danger have arisen,
there have been courageous men and women willing to risk
their lives and their futures to preserve our way of life for future
generations. Is there any better example than the greatest
generation? Let us thank them, honor them and listen to them
while they are still with us.
God bless them all.
“We all thanked the Lord we were spared,”
he says of news of the Japanese surrender.
“Knowing I had, by the grace of God,
survived, my thoughts again turned
to my departed buddies, those lost from the
time of our landing on Tulagi to the
invasion of Okinawa.”
Guth, before he died, often said the same.
“The war stays with you,” he told me.
“It never goes away, although the passing of
years softens things. I think about
the fellas, especially the ones we lost. A lot
of them were good friends.”
Again, freedom isn’t free, a truth driven home to me on that visit
to the cemetery at Normandy. Those silent rows of markers tell
stories of personal sorrow and grief, selfless courage, and
devotion to duty, comrades and country.
Reprinted with permission of The American Legion Magazine,
© August, 2015. www.legion.org
Larry Alexander is the author of “Shadows in the Jungle:
The Alamo Scouts Behind Japanese Lines in World War II”.
THE 2015 VETERANS DAY PARADE 19
2014 PARADE WINNERS
Jrotc Marching Units:
1st Place: 1st Seagoville High School, 9th Army Rotc
2nd Place: Cedar Hill High School, Air Force Jrotc
3rd Place: Skyline High School 11th Batallion, Army Jrotc
High School Bands:
1st Place: Sunset High School, Purple Marching Machine Band
2nd Place: Coppell High School Marching Band
3rd Place: Wilmer Hutchings High School Marching Music Band
AUSA NORTH TEXAS
Audie Murphy Chapter
BUILDING TOMORROW'S
LEADERS
Supporting our Wounded Warriors
Supporting Military Veterans
and their Families
www.ausanorthtexas.org
Military Units
1st Place: University of Texas at Arlington, Sam Houston Rifles Drill Team
2nd Place: 504Th Battlefield Survellience Brigade
3rd Place: Fort Hood Color Guard
Veterans Organizations
1st Place: American Legion Post 218, Irving
2nd Place: Wells Fargo Bank, Veterans Team Member Network
3rd Place: American Legion Post 275 Cockell Hill
Patriotic Units/Floats
1st Place: Red Path Warrior Society
2nd Place: Patriot Paws
3rd Place: Highland Park Masonic Lodge
Parade Spirit
1st Place: Lone Star Model T’s for Wounded Warriors
2nd Place: Coppell Fire Department’s Marching Pipes and Drums
3rd Place: H-I Hummer (Paul Gabriel)
Youth Groups
1st Place: Forrestal Sea Cadets and Ranger League Cadets
Special Awards
1st Place: Seagoville High School Drill Team
2nd Place: Trinity Valley Commuinity College Marching Band and Cardettes
The Thompson &
Knight Foundation
is pleased to support
the Greater Dallas
Veterans Day Parade.
www.tklaw.com
proudly supports the
U.S. Armed Forces
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or call 1-800-MILTARY.
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companies. One group discount applicable per policy. Coverage is individual. In New York a premium reduction may be available. GEICO is a registered service mark of Government Employees Insurance
Company, Washington, D.C. 20076; a Berkshire Hathaway Inc. subsidiary. GEICO Gecko image © 1999-2014. © 2014 GEICO
THE 2015 VETERANS DAY PARADE 21
SESSIONS_2015 VETERAN_FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 10/13/15 11:57 AM Page 1
“Today and every day, we pay
tribute to the brave service men
and women who have made
invaluable contributions to
preserve and protect American
security and prosperity.”
“I proudly join Americans
across the country in saluting
retired and active duty soldiers
and expressing my sincere
gratitude for their commitment
to protecting our great nation.”
- Congressman Pete and Karen Sessions
Congressman Pete Sessions honoring
our nation's veterans at the 2011 Dallas
Veterans Day Parade.
Paid for by Pete Sessions for Congress
Roy Bailey, Chairman, Joan Walne, Vice Chairman
First (hope to be) Annual:
Post-Veterans Day Parade Party and Gathering for all
Vets, families and supporters of Vets of all wars, all
duty stations, all branches, all sexes and all sizes!
FREE Entry, FREE Pizza, FREE Popcorn,
FREEDOM Celebrations!
Spontaneous outbursts of patriotism with
Hi 5’s/Lo 5’s, fist bumps and elbow clinks!
Proud To Support
Our Veterans.
Come in uniform or civvies, just come!
Live Music all day by:
Helene, Cronin, Mark Wayne Glasmire,
Brice Beaird, Crystal Yates, Julie Jean White,
Dan Mauldin, Texas Legacy and
the South Austin Moonlighters.
10% of all drink sales go to the wounded warrior project.
Call David @ 214-693-3568 for more info!
Personal | Business | Mortgage | Retirement | Wealth Management
214.987.8840 | www.bankoftexas.com
1 - 9 pm | 1313 S. Lamar, 1 Short mile from City Hall!
©©
2015
divisionofof
BOKF,
Member
Equal Housing
2014Bank
Bank of
of Texas,
Texas, aadivision
BOKF,
NA.NA.
Member
FDIC.FDIC.
Equal Housing
Lender Lender
Dallas Chapter
of the Military Order
of the World Wars
PROUDLY SPONSORS
The Massing of
the Colors
Philip A. “Duke” Esposito
WWII & Korean War
12/20/22 - 11/4/03
A Veteran of the Greatest
Generation and,
most importantly our Dad.
Francine, Phyllis & Karen
We Proudly Support Our Troops and Honor Our Veterans
Call 214-349-6584 to learn how we can serve you. www.afa.org
THE 2015 VETERANS DAY PARADE 23
STUDENT ART PARTNERSHIP
The Dallas Veterans Day Parade Committee and the Dallas Independent School District work together every year to inform
students of Veterans’ contributions to our country. The Veterans Day Art Competition acquaints DISD students with the history
and purpose of Veterans Day. Currently there are 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners in four divisions: Grades 1-3, 4-5, 6-8 and
9-12. The winning pieces will be shown on Veterans Day in the Flag Room at Dallas City Hall. They will later be shown at the
Frontiers of Flight Museum at Love Field during November.
2014 WINNERS
Grade Place Student Name School Teacher Name
1-3 1st Place 2nd Place 3rd Place Kevin Carrasco Gesselle Trevizo Valentina Alvarez Henry B Gonzalez Elem. Celestino M Soto, Jr Elem. George Peabody Elem. Julie Blissingame
Betty Waters
Christie Holbert
4-5 1st Place 2nd Place 3rd Place Samuel Rosario Alexis Peralta Rebecca Romero San Jacinto Elem. Nancy Moseley Elem. Martha Turner Reilly Elem. Angela Belanich
Sabrina Ogle
Julie Roland
6-8 1st Place 2nd Place 3rd Place Hon. Mention Jose Campos Angelica Salazar Yaricza Mojica Desiree Villarreal WE Greiner Expl. Arts Acad. WE Greiner Expl. Arts Acad. John B Hood MS WE Greiner Expl. Arts Acad. JoAnna Henry
Joanna Henry
Maggy Kalka
JoAnna Henry
9-12 1st Place 2nd Place 3rd Place Autumn Reuben Juante Clark Francisco Cano WT White HS WT White HS Skyline HS Noemi Beltran
Noemi Beltran
Sonny Walter
Winner Grades 1-3: Kevin Carrasco
Grades 4-5
Winner:
Samuel Rosario
Grades 6-8 Winner: Jose Campos
Grades 9-12 Winner: Autumn Reuben
THE 2015 VETERANS DAY PARADE 25
The Westcott Family &
The Westcott Foundation
salutes
The Dallas Veterans Parade
honoring the
70th Anniversary of WWII
A very special thanks to
The City of Dallas
for its valuable support of
The Veterans Day
Celebration & Parade
LEARN ABOUT AVIATION!
Explore, learn the history, and even build a plane!
Explore over 30 aircraft spanning the history of aviation
from the Wright Flyer to the one-of-a-kind Flying Pancake;
Apollo 7 spacecraft;
Follow the history through 11 galleries and over 35,000
historical artifacts;
Learn all about aviation, build a plane, and launch a rocket
in our Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
(STEM) programs at the Flight School Summer Camp and
classes throughout the year.
Come join us!
6911 Lemmon Avenue Dallas TX
214 350 3600
Mon-Sat 10am to 5pm
Sun 1pm to 5pm
THE 2015 VETERANS DAY PARADE 27
PROUDLY SALUTES ALL VETERANS
AND MEN AND WOMEN IN OUR
ARMED SERVICES
© 2008. DD IP Holder LLC. All rights reserved.
PVT Patrick N. Patterson - WWI
The wreath used in the
ceremony was provided by
McShan
Florest
SGT Wilburn P. Patterson - WWII
Honoring the fond memory of
my Dad and Grand Dad
for their service.
BG (Bvt) Larry N. Patterson - TXARNG (Ret)
The Dallas Veterans
Day Parade
sincerely thanks the
Dallas County
Schools
for their continued support
THE 2015 VETERANS DAY PARADE 29
THIS NATION WILL REMAIN
THE LAND OF THE FREE
ONLY AS LONG AS IT IS
THE HOME OF THE BRAVE.
ELMER DAVIS
THE MEMBERS OF
THE LONE STAR CORVETTE CLUB
SALUTES ALL OUT VETERANS
AND THANK THEM FOR THEIR
COURAGE AND SACRIFICE.
WE WILL NEVER FORGET.
DIAMOND SPONSOR
SOUTHWEST AIRLINES
GOLD SPONSORS
ANNETTE SIMMONS
PEROT FOUNDATION,
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE HEALTH
WESTCOTT FOUNDATION
BRONZE SPONSORS
SAM PACK FIVE STAR FORD
COOPER AEROBICS ENTERPRISES, INC.
DICKEY’S BARBECUE RESTAURANTS, INC.
NAVY LEAGUE - DALLAS COUNCIL
PETE SESSIONS FOR CONGRESS
THE DALLAS MILITARY BALL
RON WITTEN
SUPPORTING
AIR FORCE ASSOCIATION - SEIDEL CHAPTER
LONE STAR CORVETTE CLUB
U.S. COAST GUARD AUXILIARY
N. VAN CAMPEN TAYLOR
LARRY N. PATTERSON
GEICO PHILANTHROPIC FOUNDATION
BANK OF OKLAHOMA
DALLAS COUNCIL NO. 18 ROYAL & SELECT MASTERS
ASSOCIATION US ARMY - NT CH 4404
TELECOM PIONEERS TX PRIDE CH # 22
DOWNTOWN DALLAS, INC.
THOMPSON & KNIGHT FOUNDATION
PHILLIP R. HARDIN
DALLAS CH. NO. 47 ROYAL ARCH MASONS
POOR DAVID’S PUB
MG ALBERT C. ZAPANTA
CONTRIBUTING
UREY W ALEXANDER JR.
JOHN M. HAYES
WOODMEN OF THE WORLD, TX CAMP #1
PEYTON L. TOWNSEND, JR.
AIR FORCE SGTS. ASSOC. BLUE BONNET CH 1073
KING MOSS II
BILLY SCHOOLING
LARRY L. MILLER
MG HARVEY MCCARTER
TRACY FISHER
BOB DICKSON
DR. CONNIE SMITH
LINK STAFFING SERVICES CORP.
MOWW DALLAS CHAPTER
KAREN PLUNKETT
DON B. MUNSON
BOB DICKSON
RON FOREST
THE 2015 VETERANS DAY PARADE 31
2015 Dallas Veterans Day
DISPLAYS
Army and Air Force
Exchange Service
AT&T Veterans Employee
Resource Group
Cell Phones For Soldiers
Dallas Community Colleges
Dallas Mexican American
Historical League
Dallas Vet Center
Link Staffing Services
NPower
Patriot Paws Service Dogs
Sons of the Flag
The Mission Continues
VA North Texas Health
Care System
Vet Center
Vet Net
Veteran Outreach
THE 2015 VETERANS DAY PARADE 33
A Nation of Courage
A Nation of Strength
A Nation of Pride
We are United &
We are not Alone
M
D
ST
AT E S OF A
✯
UNI
TE
ER
ICA
D
EPA
R
MY
AR
ENT OF THE
TM
The Dallas Veterans Day Parade is profoundly greateful
to the Perot Foundation
for its generous support of our Veterans Day event.